AGRONOMIC TRIALS ON SUGARCANE CROP UNDER FAISALABAD CONDITIONS, PAKISTAN

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1 Pak. J. Bot., 43(2): , AGRONOMIC TRIALS ON SUGARCANE CROP UNDER FAISALABAD CONDITIONS, PAKISTAN LALL KHAN BABAR 1, TEHREEMA IFTIKHAR 2*, HAMMAD NAQI KHAN 1 AND ARIF HAMID MAKHDUM 1 1 World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan 2 Laboratory of Biotechnology, Department of Botany, G C University Faisalabad, Pakistan. *Corresponding author pakaim2001@yahoo.com Abstract In the present studies field experiments were conducted to study the production potential of September planted Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) under varying agro-management practices for the year Two sugarcane clones viz., S2002-US-637 and CP show good growth potential were evaluated at five bio-fertilizer and chemical fertilizer levels in different combinations. Fifty percent bio-fertilizer + 50% recommended dose of chemical fertilizer increased the cane yield along with reduced environmental pollution. In field experiments, I 4 & P 4 treatment significantly affected agronomic characteristics such as cane height, cane diameter, cane yield (000 t ha -1 ), whereas number of tillers ha -1, number of mill-able canes ha -1 and sugar recovery % were non significantly affected over control. The sugarcane promising clone S2002-US-637 showed better performance over CP The interaction V 2 P 4 significantly affected all parameters except sugar recovery %. Furadon 20 kg ha-1 at sowing + Furadon 40 kg ha-1 in April / May + Furadon 40 Kg ha-1 in June/ July controlled the pests of sugarcane and increased the yield of promising sugarcane clones. The interaction I 4 V 2 significantly affected all parameters except sugar recovery %. Trench planting saves 50% irrigation water but alternate skip irrigation further improves cane yield in addition to saving of same amount of water. Introduction Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) is an important cash crop of Pakistan, plays vital role in economic uplift of the farmers and survival of ever expanding sugar industry in Punjab. Pakistan is an important cane producing country and is ranked fifth in world cane acreage and 15th in sugar production. Sugarcane is grown on over a million hectares and provides the raw material for Pakistan s 84 sugar mills -- which comprise the country s second largest agro-industry after textiles (Rehman, 2009). Thus evolution of new high cane and sugar yielding varieties and improved production technology i.e., Better Management Practices (BMPs) are current need for improving livelihoods of sugarcane growers and other crops and ultimately betterment of mill owners also (Nasir, 2006; Iftikhar et al., 2010). Addition of organic matter in soil improves the physicochemical and biological properties of soil. The cultivated soils in tropical tracts may contain 2-5% organic matter. 1-2% organic matter is considered a normal level of cultivated soils. In arid and semi arid regions, the organic matter is considerably low due to oxidation process. The soil having less than I% organic matters are organic deficient soils (Azam et al., 2001). The organic deficient soils can not support plant growth. Plants show pale appearance in nutrient deficient soils (Malik, 2006). There are various sources of organic matter or farm-yard manure (FYM), green manure crops in sequence or as an intercrop, sugar mills waste (filter press cake and bio-compost in cane fields), crop residues (Nasir & Qureshi, 1999). To obtain potential yields; 50% of total N requirements should be made available in the form of FYM and 50% applied in the form of fertilizer (Fasihi & Malik, 1989). Application of inorganic fertilizer to soils, after thorough mixing

2 930 LALL KHAN BABAR ET AL., with well rotten FYM, has been found to reduce the fixation of applied phosphorus and enhances crop yields. It was observed that FYM mobilizes other nutrients especially P for better uptake by plant (Chaudhary & Qureshi, 1980). Makhdum et.al. (1997), reported that earthing up after May resulted in less infestation of Gurdaspur Borer Acigona stenialus and comparatively less lodging of millable cane in the NWFP. In order to test and validate Better Management Practices (BMPs), three agronomic trials regarding bio-fertilizer, bio-pesticide and irrigation were conducted in on sugarcane crop under Faisalabad conditions to fight against pests of sugarcane, shortage of irrigation water and boost up the production of sugarcane. Then same trials were repeated in also at the research farm and farmer s fields so that BMPs tested on research farm could be replicated at farmer s fields. Moreover, two promising sugarcane varieties of Sugarcane Research Institute were tested at sugarcane farm Faisalabad. The varieties were studied in Faisalabad zone recording different parameters i.e., tillering capacity, mill able cane count, cane height, cane diameter, cane yield and quality performance of varieties. The trials on sugarcane were conducted to achieve the following objectives: To see the response of promising sugarcane varieties / clones to different combinations of bio-fertilizer with chemical fertilizers and to search alternatives of chemical fertilizers. To find out the efficacy of bio-pesticide (Biosal) to control the pests of sugarcane and its impact on growth and yield of promising sugarcane clones as bio-pesticides are economical and environment friendly. To determine water use efficiency in different planting methods/ techniques to fight against drought and save the irrigation water which is a current global issue. Materials and Methods The experiment, comprising 5 fertilizer treatments and two varieties/ promising lines (S2002-US-637, CP ), was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) factorial with 3 replications. The crop was sown in 120 cm apart, 20 cm deep trenches in 5 x 9.6 m plots using 75,000 double budded sets per hectare as seed rate on 30 th October, The experiment comprised of the following two varieties and five fertilizer treatments. A. Varieties / Clones 1. V 1 = S2002-US V 2 = CP B. Fertilizer treatments 1. F 1 = 50% bio fertilizer (62 kg/ha) + 50% of the recommended dose of NPK ( NPK kg ha -1 ). 2. F 2 = 75% of the proposed bio-fertilizer (93 kg/ha) +25% of the recommended NPK ( NPK kg ha -1 ). 3. F 3 = 124 kg/ha (proposed). 3. F 4 = kg /ha (recommended). 5. F 5 = No fertilizer (Control). The bio-fertilizer & chemical fertilizer were applied in respective plots as per treatment. The crop was given three inter cultures and sixteen irrigations to all treatments.

3 AGRONOMIC TRIALS ON SUGARCANE CROP 931 C. Bio-pesticides / Pesticides 1. P 1 =No pesticide. 2. P L ha P 3 = Chloropyrifos L ha -1 at sowing + Furadon 40kg ha -1 in April/ May. 4. P 4 = Furadon 20 Kg ha -1 at sowing + Furadon 40 Kg/ha in April / May + Furadon 40 Kg/ha in June/ July. The bio-pesticide and pesticides were applied in respective plots as per treatment. The crop was given three inter cultures and sixteen irrigations to all treatments. D. Irrigation Application Methods I 1 = Flood irrigation by Siphon in flat sowing at 120 cm apart rows. I 2 = Normal irrigation with S1phon after earthling up 90 DAS in trench planning at 120 cm apart rows. I 3 = Skip irrigation after earthling up 90 DAS in trench planting at 120 cm apart rows. I 4 = Alternate skip irrigation after earthing up 90 DAS in trench planting at 120 cm apart rows. The earthling up 90 DAS and irrigation was applied in respective plots as per treatment. The crop was given three inter cultures and sixteen irrigations to all treatments. The data on the number of tillers per unit area were recorded on plot basis. The number of mill-able canes and cane yield were recorded at crop harvest (Nov. 15, 2008) on plot basis and then converted into per hectare. From each plot, ten canes were randomly selected and tagged. They were sent to the laboratory for quality analysis after taking their length and girth. Sugar recovery % age was calculated using following formula: CCS % = 3 P (1 -F+5) B (1-F+3) Sugar recovery % = CCS % x 0.94 where P = Pol F = Fibre B = Brix CCS = Commercial cane sugar The data collected were analyzed statistically and the least significant difference (LSD) test at 5% probability was used to compare the means of different treatments. Results and Discussion A set of field experiments were conducted to study the production potential of September planted Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) under varying agro-management practices for the year Investigations were carried out at the Sugarcane Research Farm, AARI, Faisalabad. In the present experiment two sugarcane promising clones viz., S2002-US-637 and CP were evaluated at five bio-fertilizer and chemical fertilizer levels in different combinations. Experiments were laid out in randomized complete block design with factorial arrangement and replicated three times.

4 932 LALL KHAN BABAR ET AL., Treatments Table 1. Integrated effect of bio- and chemical fertilizer on promising sugarcane clones. No. of tillers (000/ Ha.) No. of millable canes (000/ ha.) Cane height Cane diameter Cane yield (t/ ha.) Sugar recovery (%) Fertilizer levels F A A A 2.85 A A AB F A A C 2.40 BC C C F A AB B 2.63 AB A ABC F A AB C 2.50 B C BC F B B D 2.18 C D A LSD Varieties V A A A 2.55 A A V B B B 2.47 B B LSD N.S Interaction V 1 F BC AB A 3.04 A A ABC V 1 F AB A C 2.40 BCD BC ABC V 1 F AB AB B 2.69 AB A AB V 1 F A A C 2.56 BC B ABC V 1 F C B D 2.16 D CD AB V 2 F D C B 2.74 AB D AB V 2 F DE CD D 2.42 BCD FG C V 2 F DE CD C 2.60 BC E ABC V 2 F E D D 2.52 BCD EF BC V 2 F DE CD E 2.23 CD G A LSD 0.05 % The data presented in the Table 1 revealed that maximum tillering (101,500 ha -1 ) were recorded in F 2 and minimum tillering (85,600 ha -1 ) was given by F 5 (check). Out of two varieties V 1 (S2002-US 637) produced more number of tillers (120,100 ha -1 ) than V 2 (CP ) with 70,400 ha -1. The interaction of V I F 4 (S2002-US 637 X NPK kg ha -1 ) was the best, with 131,300 tillers ha -1. The highest number of mill-able canes (70,800 ha -1 ) was produced in F 2, while the lowest i.e. 59,600 tillers ha -1 were observed in F 5. The variety V 1 (S2002-US-637) produced significantly more number of millable canes (85,700 ha -1 ) than V 2 (CP ) with 50,400 millable canes ha -1. The V 1 F 4 interaction was the best, which produced 92,900 ha -1 number of millable canes. Cane length and cane diameter are very important yield contributing parameters in sugarcane. The data indicated that significantly the longest canes ( cm) were produced by F 1, and the canes of shortest length ( cm) were found in F 5. The variety V 1 produced significantly canes of greater height ( cm) than V 2 with cm cane length. The V 1 F 1 interaction was the best, which produced cane of cm height. The canes of significantly greater diameter (2.85 cm) were observed in F 1, whereas the canes of least thickness (2.18 cm) were found in F 5. The variety V 1 produced significantly canes of greater diameter (2.55 cm) than V 2 with cane diameter of 2.47 cm. The V 1 F 1 interaction was the best, which produced cane of 3.04 cm diameter. The treatment F 1 (50% bio-fertilizer i.e. 62 kg ha % of recommended dose of NPK i.e., NPK kg ha -1 ) gave significantly higher cane yield ( t ha -1 ) than all

5 AGRONOMIC TRIALS ON SUGARCANE CROP 933 other treatments except F kg ha -1 ) with cane yield of t ha -1 with which it was at par. The treatment F 4 (recommended dose of fertilizer i.e NPK kg ha -1 ) gave significantly higher cane yield (98.00 t ha -1 ) than F 5 (control) with t ha -1 cane yield but was at par with F 2 (75% of the bio-fertilizer + 25% of the recommended dose i.e., NPK kg ha -1 ) with cane yield of t ha -1. The variety V 1 produced significantly higher cane yield ( t ha -1 ) than V 2 with t ha -1 cane yield. The V 1 F 1 interaction was the best, which produced t ha -1 cane yield. Sugar recovery of different treatments was different in two clones. The F 5 produced significantly the highest sugar recovery of %, while the lowest sugar recovery 12.14% was produced by F 2. The variety V 1 produced higher sugar recovery (12.71%) than V 2 with 12.53% sugar recovery. The V 2 F 5 interaction was the best, which produced 13.18% sugar recovery. F 1 treatment significantly affected agronomic characteristics such as cane height, cane diameter, number of tillers (000 ha -1 ), number of millable canes (000 ha -1 ), cane yield (000 t ha -1 ) over control in sugarcane promising clone S2002-US-637 than CP The two clones showed non-significant difference in quality parameter such as sugar recovery %. The interaction V 1 F 1 significantly affected all parameters except sugar recovery %. The data presented in Table 2 revealed that maximum tillering (139,100 ha -1 ) was recorded in P 4 and minimum tillering (120,600 ha -1 ) was given by P 1 (check). Out of two varieties V 2 (S2002-US 637) produced more number of tillers (159,110 ha -1 than V 1 (CP ) with 93,900 tillers ha -1. The interaction of V 2 P 2 was the best with 172,400 tillers ha -1. The highest number of mill able canes (100,300 ha -1 ) was produced in P 4, while the lowest number of mill able canes (86,200 ha -1 ) was observed in P 1. The variety V 2 produced significantly more number of mill able canes (117,100 ha -1 ) than V 1 with mill able canes ha -1. The V 2 P 2 interaction was the best, which produced ha -1 number of mill able canes. Cane length and cane diameter are very important yield contributing parameters in sugarcane. The data indicate that significantly the longest canes ( cm) were produced by P 4, and the canes of shortest length ( cm) were found in P 1. The variety V 2 produced significantly canes of greater height ( cm) than V 1 with cane of cm height. The V 2 P 4 interaction was the best, which produced cm cane height. The canes of significantly greater diameter (2.90 cm) were observed in P 4, whereas the canes of least thickness (2.37 cm) were found in P 1. The variety V 2 produced significantly canes of greater diameter (2.50 cm) than V 1 with canes of 2.42 cm diameter. The V 2 P 4 interaction was the best, which produced canes of 3.01 cm diameter. The treatment P 4 (Furadon 20 kg ha -1 at sowing + Furadon 40 kg ha -1 in April/May + 40 kg ha -1 in June/July) gave significantly higher cane yield ( t ha -1 ) than all other remaining treatments. The treatment P 1 (no pesticide) gave significantly lower cane yield than all other treatments. The variety V 2 produced significantly higher cane yield ( t ha -1 ) than V 1 with cane yield of t ha -1 ). The V 2 P 4 interaction was the best, which produced t ha -1 cane yield. Sugar recovery of different treatments was different in two clones. The P 1 produced the highest sugar recovery of 12.10%, while the lowest sugar recovery 11.00% was produced by P 3. The variety V 2 produced significantly higher sugar recovery (11.80%) than V 1 with 11.45% sugar recovery. The V 2 P 1 interaction was the best, which produced 12.32% sugar recovery.

6 934 LALL KHAN BABAR ET AL., Table 2. Integrated effect of bio- and chemical pesticides on sugarcane pests in different promising clones. Treatments No. of millable Cane Cane Sugar No. of tillers Cane height canes diameter yield recovery (000/ Ha.) (000/ ha.) (t/ ha.) (%) Pesticide levels P D 2.37 C D P C 2.49 BC C P B 2.71 AB B P A 2.90 A A LSD N.S N.S N.S Varieties V B B B B V A A A A LSD N.S N.S Interaction V 1 P B B D 2.35 D F AB V 1 P B B BC 2.46 CD E AB V 1 P B B BC 2.66 ABCD D B V 1 P B B A 2.87 AB C AB V 2 P A A D 2.41 D C A V 2 P A A C 2.55 BCD B AB V 2 P A A B 2.80 ABC A AB V 2 P A A A 3.01 A A AB LSD 0.05 % The data presented in Table 3 revealed that maximum tillering (160,200 ha -1 ) was recorded in I 4 (alternate skip irrigation) and minimum tillering (147,000 ha -1 ) was given by I 3 (skip irrigation). Out of two varieties V 2 (S2002-US 637) produced more number of tillers (175,000ha -1 ) than V 1 (CP ) with 120,000 tillers ha -1. The interaction of V 2 I 4 was the best with 191,400 tillers ha -1. The highest number of millable canes (114,200 ha -1 ) were produced in I 4, while the lowest number of millable canes (105,000 ha -1 ) were observed in I 3. The variety V 2 produced significantly more number of millable canes (127,480 ha -1 ) than V 1 with 82,200 millable canes ha -1. The V 2 I 4 interaction was the best, which produced 140,100 ha -1 numbers of millable canes. Cane length and cane diameter are very important yield contributing parameters in sugarcane. The data indicate that significantly the longest canes ( cm) were produced by I 3, and the canes of shortest length ( cm) were found in I 1. The variety V 2 produced significantly canes of greater height ( cm) than V 1 with canes of cm height. The V 2 I 4 interaction was the best, which produced cm cane height. The canes of significantly greater diameter (2.88 cm) were observed in I 4, whereas the canes of least thickness (2.30 cm) were found in I 1. The variety V 2 produced significantly canes of greater diameter (2.65 cm) than V 1 with 2.52 cm cane diameter. The V 2 I 4 interaction was the best, which produced 3.00 cm cane diameter. The treatment I 4 (Alternate skip irrigation after earthing up 90 DAS in trench planting at 120 cm apart rows) gave significantly higher cane yield ( t ha -1 ) than all other remaining treatments. The treatment I 1 (Flood irrigation by siphon in flat sowing at 120 cm apart rows) gave significantly lower cane yield (95.50 t ha -1 ) than all other remaining treatments except I 2 (Normal irrigation with siphon after earthing up 90 DAS in trench planting at 120 cm apart rows) with which was at par. The variety V 2 produced significantly higher cane yield ( t ha -1 ) than V 1 with cane yield of t ha -1. The V 2 I 4 interaction was the best, which produced t ha -1 cane yield. Sugar recovery of different treatments was not affected significantly by different irrigation treatments while sugar recovery was significantly different in two varieties. The variety V 1 produced significantly higher sugar recovery (12.50%) than V 2 with 11.90% sugar recovery. The V 1 I 1 interaction was the best, which produced 12.70% sugar recovery.

7 AGRONOMIC TRIALS ON SUGARCANE CROP 935 Table 3. Irrigation trial on flat versus trench planting in promising sugarcane clones. Treatments No. of millable Cane Cane Sugar No. of tillers Cane height canes diameter yield recovery (000/ Ha.) (000/ ha.) (t/ ha.) (%) Irrigation levels I C 2.30 C C I B 2.49 B C I A 2.79 AB B I A 2.88 A A LSD N.S N.S N.S Varieties V B B B A V A A A B LSD N.S N.S Interaction V 1 I B B E 2.27 C F V 1 I B B CDE 2.46 ABC F V 1 I B B ABC 2.77 ABC D V 1 I B B ABC 2.70 ABC E V 2 I A A DE 2.35 BC C V 2 I A A BCD 2.54 ABC BC V 2 I A A AB 2.84 AB AB V 2 I A A A 3.00 A A LSD 0.05 % N.S Acknowledgements Special thanks to Sugarcane Research Institute, Faisalabad, Pakistan. References Azam, F., M.M. Iqbal, C. Inayatullah and K.A. Malik Technologies for sustainable agriculture. Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology, Faisalabad, Pakistan. Chaudhary, T.M. and S.M. Qureshi year research in Agric. Chemistry- a review. ARI Fasihi, S.D. and K.B. Malik Fifty years of sugarcane research at Ayub Agri.Rs. Instt. Faisalabad. Directorate for agriculture information, Govt. of Punjab Agri. Dptt., Lahore, Pakistan. Iftikhar, T., L.K. Babar, S. Zahoor and N.G. Khan Best Irrigation Management Practices In Cotton. Pakistan Journal of Botany, 42(5): Malik, K.B Importance of organic matter and trash mulching in conservation of irrigation water and improving soil productivity. Workshop on Agriculture, pp Makhdum, A.H and A.I. Mohyuddin Effect of earthing up on infestation of sugarcane borers and their natural enemies in the NWFP. Proc. Ann. Conv. Pak. Soc. Sug. Tech., pp Nasir, N.M Better management practices for cotton and sugar cane. WWF-Pakistan, Ferozepur Road, Lahore , Pakistan, pp Nasir, N.M. and M.A. Qureshi 1999 Significant of ethanol stillage for soil and crop improvement. Pak. Sugar J., 14: Rehman, M.S Pakistan Sugar Annual 2009.USDA Foreign Agrcultural Service, pp. 3. (Received for publication 10 December 2009)